Electronic Arts and NFL Launch the First Madden NFL Club Championship

First U.S. Professional Sports League to Commit All Teams to Competitive Gaming and Esports; Players Will Compete to Represent their Favorite NFL Teams

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and the National Football League (NFL) announced the launch of the Madden NFL Club Championship, a landmark competitive gaming and esports event within the Madden NFL Championship Series (MCS) involving all 32 NFL Clubs. With involvement from every club across the League, this is the largest competitive gaming commitment ever by a U.S. professional sports league, and competition begins in less than 24 hours with the launch of EA SPORTS Madden NFL 18 G.O.A.T Edition for Xbox One, the all in one videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft, and the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system on August 22nd. Players can sign up today to compete at www.NFL.com/Madden.

Millions can compete in pursuit of winning the Madden NFL Club Championship for their favorite NFL team. Players will qualify first through online competition with high-performers advancing to tournaments at select NFL stadiums, popular cultural landmarks and more. Once the final 32 players are identified, one per NFL team, they will compete in the Madden NFL Club Championship Live Finals, a tournament occurring first at the Pro Bowl Experience in Orlando, FL and culminating at the Super Bowl Experience Driven by GMC in Minneapolis, MN with the winner receiving a cash prize and two tickets to Super Bowl LII.

“Our first season of Madden NFL competitions was a great success, engaging millions of players and igniting the passion of NFL fans worldwide,” said EA’s Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson. “Now we’re taking competitive gaming and our NFL partnership to an unprecedented level, with Madden NFL players competing to represent all 32 NFL teams. The Madden NFL Club Championship is the opportunity sports fans have been waiting for, to live their dreams and compete for their favorite team on a global stage.”

“Competitive gaming and esports are one of the most exciting ways to engage a larger, younger and digitally savvy NFL audience,” said NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell. “Collaborating with EA to create the Madden NFL Club Championship presents a unique opportunity to capture the excitement of NFL action and the passion of our fans with competition that anyone can participate in.”

The Madden NFL Club Championship is one of three currently announced Madden NFL Championship Series EA Majors, the other two are the Madden NFL Classic on October 20-21 and the Madden NFL Challenge on December 15-16. EA Majors are the pinnacles of the Madden NFL Championship Series with only the top players qualifying. The Madden NFL Championship Series purse is $1.15 million for the season.

All players can compete in the Madden NFL Championship Series and for a chance to qualify to compete in an EA Major through many means. These competitive formats include online matchmaking now incorporating the heavily engaging Madden NFL Ultimate Team Champions (MUT Champions) experience, grass-roots tournaments known as Challenger Events and mid-level Premier Events.

EA has the mission to make stars of all our players by making competitive gaming accessible to all. Quickly becoming a leading entertainment brand in competitive gaming, with top-selling videogame franchises Madden NFL football, EA SPORTS FIFA and Battlefield 1, award-winning interactive technology and cross-platform digital experiences, EA’s competitive experiences ignite the passion of millions of players and spectators through competition around the world.

For more details on the entire Madden NFL Championship Series ecosystem, as well as details on the new Madden NFL Ultimate Team Champions (MUT Champions) experience, please visit www.maddenchampionship.com.

Post by Vikki
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ANNOUNCING SHEA FONTANA TO WRITE WONDER WOMAN

This summer, writer Shea Fontana (DC SUPER HERO GIRLS) will pen a five-issue story arc on DC’s main WONDER WOMAN bimonthly comic book series.

Fontana is no stranger to Wonder Woman having helped shape the DC Super Hero Girls universe, writing the original graphic novel and The New York Times bestseller DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: FINALS CRISIS and its subsequent installments, as well as the animated shorts and the first original animated movie DC SUPER HERO GIRLS: HERO OF THE YEAR. Now, Fontana is graduating to DC’s flagship WONDER WOMAN series.

“Having worked on DC Super Hero Girls for the last few years, I have a great sense of Wondy, a teenage Wonder Woman in a high school setting, and it's an honor and an adrenaline rush to be writing her now 'all grown up,'” explains Fontana. “Many of her core characteristics continue to remain routed in peace, justice and equality, but as an adult she’s seen a lot more war and tragedy, and is dealing with her world from a wiser, more experienced point of view.”

In this arc, Fontana debuts a new villain into the DC Universe who seeks to prove that Amazon DNA could change the world and hunts to capture Wonder Woman, dead or alive. This will challenge Wonder Woman's notion of strength and what it means to be a warrior.

Joining Fontana in July for the first two issues will be fan-favorite artist Mirka Andolfo (DC COMICS: BOMBSHELLS). “It’s a delight to be collaborating with Mirka who is bringing her stellar style to this series,” shares Fontana. “She has an incredible visual storytelling talent to create cinematic superhero action sequences while capturing the complexity of the characters' emotions and maintaining a clear focus on the evolving relationships between characters.”

WONDER WOMAN #26-27 is available now!

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Twitter: ProfessorWhite
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Can Queen Arturus defend humankind from an invasion by the Fae?

Dark Horse is proud to announce that The Once and Future Queen, the critically acclaimed twenty-first-century King Arthur adventure from the dream team of Amelia Cole—Adam P. Knave (This Starry Deep), D.J. Kirkbride (Never Ending), Nick Brokenshire (2000 AD), and Frank Cvetkovic (Artful Daggers)—is now being collected as a trade paperback!

Set in Portland, Oregon, and the UK, the story stars Rani Arturus, a chess prodigy with no plans to be a leader of any sort, let alone QUEEN. After she pulls the legendary sword Excalibur from the stone . . . well, no backsies. Now she must form a new Round Table made of friends and family to protect the Earth from an invasion of Fae, who’d like a new planet to call their own. It’s magic, romance, adventure, and excitement as old myths reveal themselves to be fake, and new ones cause trouble for everyone!

The Once and Future Queen trade paperback arrives November 1, 2017, and is currently available for preorder on DarkHorse.com, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

Post by Vikki
Twitter: ProfessorWhite
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Capcom's The Disney Afternoon Collection Available Now!

Oh snap, put those 8-bit shades on, it’s time to dive into The Disney Afternoon Collection! This collection of six classic Capcom games is available digitally today across North America and Europe on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows PC for $19.99 / £15.99 / €19.99. Featuring titles like Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers and DuckTales, these throwbacks from the 80s and 90s star beloved characters from popular Disney TV shows in fun-filled adventures now with crisp HD visuals. With a massive in-game “Museum” full of historic info and art, new modes like “Boss Rush” and “Time Attack,” and the new “Rewind” feature, this collection is the best way to experience these pieces of gaming history on modern consoles for both long-time fans and new players alike.

Fans can look forward to these six retro games included in the The Disney Afternoon Collection:

• Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers – This classic lets players team up with a friend in optional co-op play and assume the roles of the mischievous Chip and Dale as they take on memorable villain Fat Cat and attempt to solve the mystery of a missing kitten.
• Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers 2 – Fat Cat has escaped and his plans are even more dastardly this time. The titular heroes and supporting cast Monterey Jack, Gadget, and Zipper must stop Fat Cat from his evil dream of world domination!
• Darkwing Duck – Play as the original caped crusader and fight a city full of criminals from the infamous F.O.W.L. organization in this action-packed platforming epic.
• DuckTales – In this iconic platforming adventure, players help Scrooge McDuck fill his feathery pockets with vast riches from across the world.
• DuckTales 2 – The sequel to the original game comes jam-packed with more action and an even bigger caper set in new locations like the Bermuda Triangle and Niagara Falls!
• TaleSpin – Take to the skies as Baloo the bear navigates his plane through exotic and dangerous locations in this side-scrolling shoot-em-up.

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Marvel's The Defenders Review

IMDB storyline: "Marvel's The Defenders" follows Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. A quartet of singular heroes with one common goal - to save New York City. This is the story of four solitary figures, burdened with their own personal challenges, who realize they just might be stronger when teamed together.

Fangirl Thoughts: They brought the team together! Marvel has been working so well on Netflix. They had a set plan and I must admit it was a fantastic plan. Fans were able to get familiar with Daredevil (we are going to just forget that pesky movie), Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist first before bringing them together. Now we have the Defenders which brings all those characters together. 

It was an easy show to binge watch. It was a bit slow and annoying in the beginning but I understand that they needed to set everyone up and show their investment in defeating The Hand. Yes, The Hand (silly name). I like that once they were introduced the show really started moving and I became really invested. Jessica's sarcasm was welcome and it balanced out the annoying aspect of Iron Fist. 

Best Moment: The best moment in the show is when Luke Cage pointed out Iron Fist's white privilege. I must admit I am getting tired of the storyline of the rich guy that loses his parents and seeks revenge and ignores the wants and needs of others around him until his revenge is satisfied. Cage pointing out how Iron Fist does not use all that he has to do more and being only invested in himself finally makes the man look at himself. Though as I was watching the show and they figured out the Hand needed Iron Fist, I said well then remove him from the playing field so they can't get him. When the bumbling team finally decided to do just that Iron Fist was a spoiled brat about it and they had to fight him. How stupid can this man be. I must admit that I did not watch his show as I had no investment in his story and after watching the Defenders I am still not interested. I just wanted to take a sponge and scrub off that silly tattoo, I don't care of it's significance. 

So wait in order for the Hand to live so long they would use the stem cells of old creatures? Right? It was just stem-cells that they were basically bathing in. 

I look forward to seeing that Marvel has up their sleeve next. What did you think of the show?

S/N: Sigourney Weaver is such a badass chick! 

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Capcom Releases New Story Trailer for Marvel vs. Capcom®: Infinite; Confirms Modes and Characters

Epic Story Trailer Released, Four More Characters Added and Game Mode Details Shared

Capcom, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today released an all-new cinematic trailer that highlights never-before-seen elements of the story mode experience featured in MARVEL VS. CAPCOM®: INFINITE. The action-packed trailer expands upon the key plot points, with heroes from both universes coming together in an attempt to stop Ultron Sigma from infecting all biological life in the newly merged Marvel and Capcom worlds.

More playable characters in MARVEL VS. CAPCOM: INFINITE have been recently confirmed, including Jedah, Dormammu, Firebrand, and Ghost Rider. Additional information and gameplay details on these four characters will be available next week, in conjunction with the Gamescom event in Cologne, Germany. These newly added characters bring the final roster at launch up to 30 characters, with more post launch characters to be revealed in the future.

MARVEL VS. CAPCOM: INFINITE will provide memorable experiences and infinite gameplay possibilities for players of all skill levels. The next evolution of the popular action-fighting series will arrive action-packed at launch, with a variety of accessible single player and multiplayer offerings including:

• Offline Modes and Features:
• Story – puts players at the center of a fierce battle as heroes from both universes come together to stop Ultron Sigma, the combined form of two robotic villains.
• Arcade – recreates the classic arcade experience. Keep winning to move forward and confront the final boss in an epic showdown of skills.
• Mission – players can do various tutorial missions, or try their hand at advanced character-specific challenges.
• Training – set up a training area with various parameters and hone skills to improve fighting abilities.
• Vs. Player 2 – go head-to-head against another player locally.
• Vs. CPU – play solo against an AI-controlled opponent.
• Collection – the Dr. Light Database contains numerous unlockable items, including cut scenes from the story mode, character/stage information, concept artwork and character/stage audio tracks.
• Online Modes and Features:
• Ranked Match – battle other players online to advance in the rankings.
• Casual Match – battle other players online without the results affecting the rankings.
• Beginners League – a special league fought between players of Rank 14 or lower.
• Lobby – search for or create a lobby where up to 8 players can engage in simultaneous player-vs-player matches.
• Rankings – view the rankings of players from all over the world.
• Replay Settings – configure replay settings and view replays.

All of the action in MARVEL VS. CAPCOM: INFINITE takes place in new but familiar settings, as famous locations from the Marvel and Capcom universes fuse together as part of Ultron Sigma’s nefarious plot. Imagined and created through a shared vision between the two companies, the game will feature free-form 2v2 team battles and the ability to harness the power of one of six game-changing Infinity Stones, further deepening the customized gameplay by allowing players to equip and unleash elemental in-game powers during battle.

MARVEL VS. CAPCOM: INFINITE will simultaneously release on the PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One® systems and Windows PC across North America and Europe on September 19, 2017.

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